As the North American hardcourt swing came into focus this summer, Iga Swiatek’s frustration was palpable. She had already achieved a significant amount in the season, winning her third French Open title and four titles overall. Although she had not scaled the heights of her unforgettable 2022 season, her supreme consistency had yielded a handsome 53-8 win-loss record.
For some people, though, that wasn’t enough. After recovering from a set down to emphatically defeat Zheng Qinwen 3-6, 6-1, 6-1 in Cincinnati, Swiatek initiated her press conference with a monologue, imploring fans to be more positive and less scathing of her efforts. She noted that people had even sent emails to her team, criticising their contributions. Clearly, the added scrutiny of being the focal point of her sport was weighing on her.
“For sure today’s match wasn’t perfect,” said Swiatek, sighing. “We all saw that. But the amount of hate and criticism that me and my team get after even losing a set is just ridiculous.”
Over the past season, pressure has come from all directions. As she dealt with added expectations and unwanted opinions, her rivals closed in. Aryna Sabalenka’s excellence immediately put significant pressure on Swiatek’s No 1 ranking, Elena Rybakina won all three of their meetings and Jessica Pegula would beat her for a second time in 2023 that week. Coco Gauff would get her first win over Swiatek shortly after.
Still, despite facing ample adversity, Swiatek remains the leading figure of her sport after an utterly dominant week at the WTA Finals in Cancún. Alongside her destructive, heavy groundstrokes, her supreme athleticism and spotless return game, Swiatek has again shown unwavering commitment to her work and a mental toughness that separates her from the rest.
It cannot be stated enough: Swiatek is clearly on the path to becoming an all-time great. At 22, she has already won four grand slam titles, 17 titles overall and 76 weeks at No 1. Of the 14 available big titles currently available – grand slams, WTA Finals and WTA 1000s – she has already won eight different events. The greatest players tend to win about 80% of their matches – no woman has even come close to winning at such a rate since Maria Sharapova. Swiatek’s career main draw record? 199-52 (79.3%).
This season, though, was also significant because of the strides taken by all the top players. With Swiatek earning 9295 points and Sabalenka 9050 points, this is the first time since 2012 that the top two players have finished with over 9000 points.
The way that Sabalenka levelled up mentally and physically has been the revelation of the season. Sabalenka has learned how to harness her immense power and win week after week, establishing the level of consistency required to reach No 1.
Despite her dramatic improvement, though, she could have achieved even more. Sabalenka blew dramatic leads against Karolina Muchova and Ons Jabeur in the semi-finals of the French Open and Wimbledon before leading Gauff by a set in the US Open final. While her resilience after each heartbreak was immense, her head still got in the way. Those failings should provide sufficient motivation for the 25-year-old to chase Swiatek again in 2024.
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Before the first round of Wimbledon was completed, Gauff had lost and left the tournament in tears. She found herself questioning whether she would really achieve the lofty goals she had set herself so many years ago. But then the 19-year-old made the right personnel decisions – hiring Brad Gilbert as her father stepped away – and she bounced back with the summer of her dreams and the US Open title. As long as her work ethic and smart decisions continue, this is only the beginning.
In a season defined by its stability, Marketa Vondrousova produced one of the biggest shocks in recent years by winning Wimbledon while ranked 42nd. She may still be adjusting to her new altitude, but the 24-year-old’s toolbox of shots is too deep for her not to be a factor on the clay and Roland Garros. Jabeur, though, knows she should have won that Wimbledon final. The heartbreak of losing her first three major finals is far from healed. Although Elena Rybakina faded towards the end of the season, the 24-year-old has made it clear that she too can be a consistent factor and her 2022 Wimbledon title is unlikely to be her last major distinction.
Many players stepped up, but the absences were also notable. Naomi Osaka will return in January after giving birth to her daughter, Shai, and spending some much needed time away from the sport. She remains one of the few players with the ability to disrupt Swiatek, but only if she is hungry and completely locked in. Emma Raducanu, meanwhile, will also return from an eight-month layoff after two hand operations and ankle surgery in April. Her choice of coaches continues to occupy headlines, but it still remains to be seen if her body can even handle the rigours of professional tennis.
Like Swiatek, these champions have had their own troubles with the immense scrutiny that has come with their success, but they, and many others, will come again in 2024. As the top players aim to keep the spots they worked so hard to establish, clean slates and new opportunities await the rest.
